Meant to Be Part VIII: Love is Strong in Numbers
by betterthings89
Summary: Further chronicling Lilly and Oliver's life and love together as adults. They meet up with some adversity but deal with it together, and with friends to help. Part 8, installment 10. Reviews are much appreciated!


_*NOTE: This part takes place three years after part VII, and seventeen years after parts I&II._

_*Reviews are welcomed!  
_

**Meant to Be: Part VIII:**

**Love is Strong in Numbers**

It had been twenty years since Oliver's father Oscar Oken had left him and his mother. Oliver hadn't seen him since then. He hardly remembered him. He did know that his father was where his middle name 'Oscar' came from. He didn't remember what he looked like, or any other major details about him. What he did remember was that he was not a nice person. He wasn't abusive, he wasn't an alcoholic. Oscar was just not a very nice person.

One cool summer day Oliver was on his lunch break from the radio station at which he was a host for both a video show, and a radio show which both came in on XM videocast/radio. He met up with his best friend, Miley Stewart, who was also out for lunch from the vocal school that she owned and managed.

They sat down at a table at the Shack, which was no longer under the management of Rico's brother Mateo. They had sold the business to a local vendor. Miley and Oliver began to talk about life, their jobs, and their kids.

"So, Susan's three now. How is she doing in preschool?" asked Oliver. "She was a little scared going in the first day or so. But she had a friend right there with her." Miley said. "Who is it?" asked Oliver. "It's your son Michael, you donut. Hah! Lilly's not here to stop me from calling ya' that!" Miley said. "I think they're getting to be pretty good friends, don't you Miley?" Oliver said. "Yeah, they are. The teacher told me that she saw them holding hands a couple times! I wonder how come Oliver?" Miley said, pretending to be mad. "We didn't give him any crayons. So that can't be it. You don't think…?" he said. "No!" they said in unison.

"I guess it's only natural for them to hang out together since they're around each other all the time at home, right?" Oliver said. "Yeah, that's true. But then why didn't she hold hands with Robbie (Jackson's son)? They all see each other at home just as much and they're all in the same class." Miley said. "I don't know why. Maybe it's just a phase." he said, shrugging. "We all thought that hand holding thing was just a phase with you and Lilly. Then one day I saw you two kissing in my dads' living room." Miley said, searching for answers. "Well, what if they do end up having a thing for each other? That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" Oliver said. "I guess not. I just think it shouldn't all be part of destiny like that. It's not like that sort of thing is genetic or something. And you and Lilly just passed it on to Michael." Miley said.

"I guess we should just let it go. It probably _is_ just a phase." Oliver said. "I guess you're right. So then, how's Rose doing? She's five now, right?" asked Miley. "Yeah, she's great. She looks more and more like Lilly every day. I like to call them 'my beautiful flowers', Lilly and Rose. As for school she's got lots of friends in kindergarten. Her teacher said she's one of the most gifted kids in the class. She's already starting to read and a little writing. Most of the other kids can barely recite the alphabet." Oliver told her. "Isn't that around when Jimmy learned how to read and write?" asked Miley. "Yeah, he did. He's always been really interested in learning things. Nothing ever seems to take him very long to pick up on. Rose looks like she might be the same way." Oliver said.

There was a man that had been staring at them the entire time. Oliver kept looking over to see if he was still there. Every time he looked the man was staring at him. He looked oddly familiar. All of a sudden the man started walking towards them. He stood there looking at Oliver while saying nothing. "Can I help you, sir?" Oliver asked. "How may I help you?" the man said. He was very familiar looking, Oliver thought. "Excuse me, but you're the one that came over here. So what is it you need?" asked Oliver, who was taken aback by the seemingly offbeat man. "Son, you've been staring at me for the last half an hour! What is your problem?" asked the man. "There's no problem. And you were the one that's been staring at me since I got here! So what's your problem?" Oliver asked.

"Look son, you gotta stop this nonsense, I'm not playin' around." The man said, starting to look angry. "I think you've got it backwards. You're the one that's been watching me and my friend for the last half hour, so what's the problem?" Oliver repeated. "She's you're friend, son?" the man asked. "Yeah, so?" Oliver answered, starting to get annoyed. "She's not you wife?" he asked. "No." Oliver said. "Gooood!" the man said in a slurred voice, which was strange because he wasn't drunk.

"I know you're married son, and you have some kids, and stuff…" the man said, starting to trail off into his head. "How do you know that about me? And why do you keep calling me son?" Oliver asked him in a slightly angry voice. "So, Oliver, you don't remember me, you don't know who I am?" the man said. "No I don't have any idea who you are. Why? Should I?" Oliver asked. "I'm you father… Oscar Oken. How come you don't remember me? What's wrong with you?!" Oscar said angrily. Oliver took a moment to look him over. He was maybe an inch or so taller than Oliver. He had the same dark black hair color, with some grey mixed in around the edges, and brown eyes (Oliver's are green). One thing that did make Oliver fairly certain that it was in fact his father was the fact that his chin was pointed exactly the way his was, and the way his son Jimmy's chin was. Michael had the same facial feature but it wasn't as pronounced (wasn't quite as pointed), more like Oliver's brother Owen. Oliver suddenly realized he had trailed off inside his head, and might just be staring blankly.

"Boy don't stare at me like that! Why don't you recognize me?" Oscar repeated himself. "Probably cause I haven't seen you in over twenty years! You left Mom, and me, and Owen when I was twelve. We've done our best to forget you." Oliver said, rather heatedly. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. You're mom thought I was a crazy jerk. She didn't want me around you and your brother. So I left to keep the "crazy" out of your lives." Oscar said, obviously not believing what he was saying as he said it. "She kicked you out cause you always came home and started yelling at us all. You never hit any of us. You were just a jerk. You never had anything nice to say to us. It was always rude and sarcastic comments. And you just out and out never seemed to like us." Oliver retorted.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to answer that, so I won't. Anyway, how is your mother doing, I haven't talked to Nancy since I left." Oscar said. "She died sevenyears ago. If you cared you might have known that!" Oliver said. "Oh, I'm so sorry Oliver. I know she was a wonderful person. I wish I'd been able to be with her longer." Oscar said. "I'm sorry I snapped at you." Oliver said. "You should be boy!" Oscar shouted at him. "I think we're gonna be going now." Miley said.

Miley and Oliver made their way to where their cars were parked. "I _never_ thought I'd see that guy again! I mean I knew he was out there somewhere but I really never thought he'd ever try to see me again." He said. "Well you where right about him, he did seem like a jerk. You think you should warn Lilly?" Miley said. "Yeah I think I'd better." Oliver said. He sent a quick video message to Lilly. "Lilly, I thought you might need to know my father is around so be careful when you get home, I don't know if he knows where we live. When we get home I think we need to talk about it. I love you!" Oliver said, ending the recording and sending it to her. "I'll see you later Miley, I gotta get back to work." Oliver said. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll all see each other this evening." Miley said. They lived next door to each other, so Miley was either at their house or they were at hers, they where all still that close with each other. And their kids loved playing with each other.

Later on when Oliver came home from his radio station he was greeted at the door by a smiling seven year old Jimmy. He was giving his three year old brother Michael a ride on his shoulders. "Hi daddy!" Michael said, happily. "Hi dad, did you have fun at work? You were funny on the video show today!" Jimmy said enthusiastically. "It was fun, so you liked the video show? What part did you like the most? Was it the part where I started quoting Shakespeare? '_What light through yonder window __**breaks wind**__?'" _Oliver asked with a grin on his face. He had made the very same joke to Miley when they were practicing Romeo and Juliette in middle school.

"No. It was the part where you put you thumbs against your head and pretended to be…" Jimmy started to say, unable to imitate it because he was holding his brother on his shoulders. "Wait a minute! Did you say you where watching the video show. I let you go up to your room and now I find out you weren't doing your homework like you said you would!" Lilly demanded. "I did do my homework. I recorded the show and watched it after I was done with my homework." Jimmy said. "Really? Then why where you laughing?" asked Lilly, starting to walk towards the kitchen.

"There was a really funny word problem in my math book about a giraffe and… ahh Michael don't put your hands over my eyes, I can't see!" Jimmy said, starting to lose his balance as he was walking. He stopped where he thought the couch was. "If you don't take you hands off my eyes I'm gonna fall Michael!" Jimmy said, with a grin on his face. Michael took one hand off. "I'm falling… aahh...wooh!" Jimmy said. He deliberately fell flat on his back on the couch, causing Michael to topple off his shoulders, over his head, and roll onto his midsection. "Ouch! Alright you asked for it. Here it comes." Jimmy warned him. Michael had a surprised look on his face. Jimmy started tickling him in the stomach. Michael started giggling. So Jimmy moved to his armpits, Michael clenched his arms down but only laughed harder.

"All right enough silly business you two. Come help us set the table. Miley'll be here any minute. And she just taught your dad how to make those sweet niblets things she always talking about. What is a niblet anyway, Oliver?" asked Lilly. "You might not wanna know." Oliver said. Jimmy and Michael made their way over to the kitchen, Jimmy still ticking Michael under the arms. Rose saw what was happening and walked over and joined in ticking him. Just then Miley came in with her daughter Susan in tow. Michael and Susan took one look at each other, then Michael broke away from his older brother and sister, picked up a drawing he'd made in school that day and they sat down next to each other on the couch. "Still think it's just a phase Oliver?" asked Miley. "What's that?" said Lilly. "Nothing Lillypop." Oliver said. "Since you called me Lillypop I know you must be hiding something, so you might as well spill it!" she said genially.

"Ok, we think Susan and Michael might have a little crush on each other. They've been holding each other's hands a lot lately. But we're thinking it's just a phase." Oliver answered. "Yeah, just a phase, that's what they all said about us and look where we are now." Lilly said, pointing with her left hand, being careful to make her wedding ring noticeable, pointing around at their three kids. "Not that I'm complaining. It turned out wonderfully. I'm just saying don't doubt the power of fate." Lilly said mysteriously. "We'll see." Miley said simply.

Later that night when the kids where all asleep, they went out on the deck to talk. "So you saw your father today?" asked Lilly. "Yeah, it was weird." He said. "Was he like you remembered him?" Lilly asked. "I just barely remember him. But, yeah pretty much. Just that basic feeling that he didn't like me and he was going to do anything he could to get under my skin." Oliver replied. "So did he say anything about why he was here or if he wanted to see you again?" Lilly asked, curiously. "No, he just harassed Miley and me for a couple of minutes. But if he is, I don't want him anywhere near the kids. As far as they're concerned, I haven't seen him in more than twenty years and I never will see him. I don't want them thinking that I could ever be like that." Oliver said.

"Well could you ever be like your father." Lilly asked. "No, of course not. I might look a little bit like him. But what son doesn't look a little like his father, mine do. The point is, I love you and I love the kids, I could never behave like that towards you or the kids. And I could never leave you guys, I love you way too much, you're my life." Oliver said with a lot of feeling. "You couldn't act like that towards anybody Oliver, you're too nice. That's one reason I became friends with you." Miley said. "I'm glad you feel that way Ollie, I love you and the kids too much to do anything like that either." Lilly said, placing her hand over Oliver's. They both looked up at the stars trying to imagine themselves being that way, but they couldn't.

The next day was Saturday. They were all ready for the weekend. Lilly didn't have to teach on the weekend. Oliver didn't do the radio show on the weekend. So they were all ready to do anything that involved relaxing and their kids. Jimmy was going to hang out with his friends Sam and Alice, at Alice's house. They still had to watch Rose and Michael, and Susan because they were too young to be away from their parents for very long.

Oliver's brother Owen joined them at a beach side bamboo shack, where they sat in the shade and relaxed. He was accompanied by his wife Lisa, whom he had dated during college. Owen was several inches shorter than Oliver. He was also much more muscularly built. Despite being the younger brother, Owen had always been the tougher of the two, especially as he got older. In fact he had been the captain of his high school wrestling team.

Owens wife did not approve of his career choice. He had chosen to take after him and Oliver's mother. He had become a police officer. She didn't think he should be a policeman because she didn't want him to get shot at. But he reasoned that he would be just fine, and that not one day on the job had his mother been wounded by gunfire. He neglected to mention however that she had been in dozens of shootouts.

They had been talking for a while about work, and family, and how happy they were no matter what seemed to happen. And there had been some pitfalls in their lives, but they always seemed to be able to work around them.

Just as they were really getting into the conversation he showed up to spoil their day. Oscar Oken was just as mean and nasty looking as Oliver had remembered him from the day before. "Oscar what do you want?" Oliver asked him, knowing that nothing good could possibly come from that question. "Why won't you call me dad?" Oscar said angrily. "Cause you've never been a dad, that's why. Now what do you want?" Oliver asked impatiently. "I wanna be part of your life now; I wanna see these kids of yours. Are these them?" Oscar asked, as he made his way towards them. "Don't come near me or my kids Oscar." Oliver said insistently. "Or what son?" Oscar demanded. "Or I'll…" but Oscar cut him off.

"Oliver you know deep down there's some really nasty people that live in this world, and I just happen to be one of 'em!" Oscar said with a menacing smile on his face. He pulled out a vicious looking knife and started walking towards Oliver. In a flash Owen came out of nowhere and tackled Oscar around the ankles. He wrestled Oscar to the ground. With his wiry frame Oscar was no match for Owen. They were on the ground, so Owen wrenched the knife from his hand and threw it away. Then he knocked him out with a thump to the back of the head.

"I'll read him his rights when I get him down to the station. But I'm going to put out a warning that he's not aloud anywhere near Malibu! I'm assuming you want to file a restraining order against him Oliver?" Owen said. "I think that's a great idea Owen." Oliver replied.

"I think it might be a good idea if we took the kids home Oliver." Lilly said. "You're right, they're probably scared." Oliver said.

Later that night Michael and Rose were in an upstairs bathroom. Michael was washing his hands. But he didn't turn the water off at any point during the process. Rose looked at him and grinned. She began singing "Are you a wasteroo, are you a wasteroo, are you a…" She trailed on. "Stop it!" Michael shouted. "Are you Mikey, are you a wasteroo…" She started chanting again. "Stop it! Mommy Rose is calling me a wasterwoo, and she won't stop!" Michael said as Lilly walked by. "Knock it off Rose! And turn the water off; I don't think he can reach the handle." Lilly said which was true, Rose had turned it on for him because he couldn't reach it, and he just hadn't asked her to turn it off. Rose reached up and turned it off. She stuck a hand towel in his hands. When he was done she took her little brother off to his room and tucked him in.

Lilly walked into the room that she and Oliver shared. She climbed into bed and sat up next to him. She put her hand on top of his. "I love our kids. They're so funny. You know what Rose was singing to Mikey when he was washing his hands?" Lilly asked with a grin. "Are you a wasteroo?" Oliver answered. "Yeah, I wonder where she got that from." Lilly said rhetorically. They both knew that a couple of years ago Jimmy used to do the very same thing to Rose, and Rose only thought it fitting to continue it with Michael.

"I'm glad that we all have love that it so strong that we can deal with things like what happened today." Lilly said. "True. But I'm just glad that Owen could get that knife away from my dad and knock him out like that!" Oliver said. "Well my dad died when I was little so he'll never come to bother us. Not that he would. My mom said he was a very nice person. I guess Truscott women must be attracted to men like that." Lilly said grinning. They kissed each other, and then continued to talk for a while until they drifted off to sleep. They dreamt of love and happiness and what tomorrow held.

They both knew that their love was so strong that nothing could stand in their way. They knew their love and their friendships and family were strong and were always **meant to be.**

**-To Be Concluded-**

_Notes to the readers:_

_*I hope you enjoyed reading this, the tenth installment in my "Meant to Be" saga. _

_** There is still one final installment to come, so be on the lookout for it._

_***I will be posting the entire saga as one entry, with each part as a chapter, when I have completed and posted the final installment._

_****I am planning a spin-off saga involving Lilly and Oliver's kids, and Jacksons son, and Miley's daughter when they are several years older. I would appreciate any input I can get. I would like some suggestions to get the ball rolling. I already have many ideas; it will not be the same as this saga. It will have a different message and tone to it, maybe not as specific a message. I don't know quite yet. I would like some suggestions if anybody would like to offer them._

_*****__**Reviews are very much appreciated!!**__ As always!!_


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